


When I Sleep

by lori_yuy



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dreams and Nightmares, M/M, Sickfic, Sleeping Together, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26984905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lori_yuy/pseuds/lori_yuy
Summary: When Rufus Shinra was put into house arrest by his father, the Turks renovated a part of their HQ for his use.  Tseng was on overnight watch duty and Rufus notices that he didn't have a proper place to sleep.  They found themselves in a strange but comfortable arrangement after Rufus offers to share his bed.
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Rufus Shinra/Tseng
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	When I Sleep

The room itself was decent enough, white-walled per his preferences unlike the gloomy black of the rest of the building. It was well furnished for his leisure and comfort. Bookcases lined the far walls with a selection large and diverse enough to last him for awhile. In the back of the room, a large bed was placed against the wall, hidden in view by a folding screen for some privacy. There was also a dresser, a table with chairs, a bathroom, a kitchenette, and some temporary walls that were erected to serve as closets. The setup was self-contained with everything he'd actually need. Here he was to stay for the next four years - a punishment from his father to make him reflect upon his wrong-doings. House arrest was more or less just for show, but the idea of being stuck indoors and locked in a room in what is essentially a large broom closet was less than appealing. 

Rufus huffed exasperatedly as he sat in the center of the large bed contemplating his place in the world. His illegitimate older brother was serving as the Director of SOLDIER while he, the actual legitimate son holding the title of VP, is here locked away and placed under the Turks' watch. These men and women in sleek black suits did everything to the whim of his father. In Rufus's eyes, his father was a true sociopath, too drunk on ego for his own good, and wasted valuable company assets on useless endeavors such as finding the Promised Land. If/when he took over the company, he would change all that. First he needs to gather allies within the company and then increase his sphere of influence, but none of that will happen now with his life literally spent in a box for the foreseeable future.

A curt knock on his door pulled him out of his reveries. The dark-haired Director of the Turks popped his head in after a few seconds.

"Sir, I brought your dinner." he said as he placed a tray on the table and waited till Rufus acknowledged before leaving again.

The Turks, officially known as the Department of Administrative Research, were infamous for their ruthless dealings on behalf of the company. They were a loyal bunch and were always intimidating to be around. Each and every member of the department had pay rates higher than most employees, for they did the dirty work that kept the company at the top of the food chain. Rufus however needed people who were loyal to him instead of loyal to his father. He often thought about how to disband the group in the future. Presently, their talent was being wasted on watching him day in and day out.

He's been locked in this room for a week now. The routineness of it all became predictable. Mornings consisted of him not getting up till almost noon, devouring what started as breakfast but turned into lunch. Afternoons were spent reading and browsing through company emails and other research he did for his own sake. He was the VP afterall and he wanted to learn about the company he is to take over. Luckily for him, his father and the Turks were generous enough not to revoke his network access privileges, perhaps because if he didn't respond to the emails as the VP, someone somewhere would suspect something was amiss, and his father would not stand to allow him to be the source of rumors. The official narrative out there was that he was out on extensive company business travel, away from Midgar for an unknown period of time. Evenings were for contemplating various topics, ranging from his current predicament to the great philosophical dilemmas of being human, and then a round of exercises to keep fit and a shower before he eventually falls asleep past midnight. Each day passed as an approximate mirror of the day before, with a rotating set of Turks bringing him his meals and checking on him periodically.

~...~

It was the second week into his house arrest that he discovered that the door to his locked chambers weren't actually locked.

  
It was a little past 3 in the morning, he had gotten up because he couldn't sleep, having awoken from a terrifying dream of space rocks hitting the very city he was to rule. When he went to his door and leaned against its cool metallic panel, it slid open to his surprise. At first, he thought that perhaps the Turk who served his dinner made a mistake and didn't lock the door after but quickly realized that Tseng, being ever vigilant, would have caught the mistake and corrected it. Logical deduction pointed only to the idea that the door was deliberately left open.  
He sheepishly peeked past the sliding wall panel.

Tseng was laid down on the only couch in the Turks HQ. His hair was still in a tight ponytail, his full suit was on but was starting to wrinkle at the edges from his position on the sofa, his guns were still attached to the holsters from what Rufus can make out in the dim lights. Rufus was taken aback at the sight. He didn't know much about Tseng but from what he could gather from the few interactions, the man was as serious as they come. He did not expect to find the leader of the Turks to be passed out on a sofa while on night shift watch duty. Rufus took his chances and tiptoed past Tseng towards the exit. He examined the door quickly. Damnit...of couse. The door had both outside and inside access restrictions. It would be far fetched to think that he had the access rights to exit the door with his ID.

"Sir, you can't go outside."

Rufus nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice right by his ears.

"I-I know that!.....I'm going back to sleep now." Rufus fumbled awkwardly as he tried to compose himself. He made a beeline towards his chamber but turned to look at Tseng before entering. The Turk was already back on the sofa, facing the wall.

"Did you mean to have my door unlocked?" Rufus asked cautiously.

He realized the man had fallen asleep again when he didn't get a response. He couldn't believe how fast the guy fell asleep. Rufus walked back to where Tseng was and sat down on the floor to take a good look at the newly minted Director. He knew the previous Director, Veld, pretty well but he's only heard a little about the new Director, second in command to Veld up until recently. According to rumors, Tseng was ambitious, level-headed, calm 99% of the time, but has a fiery side that nobody should want to get to know personally. Right now the description didn't fit the supposedly strict Turk. The guy was really just going to sleep like this despite knowing that Rufus is currently walking freely around his office. The sound of the building's air conditioning kicking on drowned the room in white noise. He looked upwards. The vent was right above the sofa. He caught Tseng shivering slightly at the sudden cold breeze out of the corner of his eyes.

"You're going to get sick like this..." Rufus mumbled before getting up.

"I thought you were going back to sleep Sir?" Tseng mumbled back while still facing the wall.

Rufus huffed in amusement. "I was..." He replied before turning to walk back to his room.

"You're welcome to go outside of your room when nobody else is around."

~...~

Tseng kept his word. He allowed Rufus to roam freely during the day time when he was the only one at the Turks' HQ. Rufus sat by him as Tseng sent his men and women directions for their mission. To say he was learning a lot was an understatement. He never knew what the Director of the Turks did and how involved it was. It was a far contrast to how the other Directors within Shinra interacted with and utilized their subordinates. The Turks were a synchronized team, extremely capable, and had probably done more to ensure Shinra's success in a week than any other department could in a few months' time.

He learned about each and every Turk, their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, and their quirks. It felt like he was getting the most human interaction he's had in awhile. In that time, Rufus discovered that Tseng isn't as harsh and intimidating as others painted him to be. Rufus couldn't help but smile a little every time Shotgun irked Tseng by going off on her own and ignoring his command. He would hold his laughter till after the call whenever Reno managed to rouse up Tseng through the phone. In short time, he's learned more about the ins and outs of his father's company from the Turks than from attending his father's long and boring board meetings. He felt like he was part of their team.

"So the Krymer Group is bad dealing for Shinra because..?" Rufus asked.

Tseng pulled out a docket of files from the cabinet and laid them out across the large table. "Based on an analysis of their latest financial reports, Krymer is at risk of bankruptcy...I don't think we should make a deal with them to supply the Department of Public Security. Besides, the last batch of sample guns we received from them had less than acceptable accuracy."

Rufus ran through the reports quickly. "I see. And the Liret Company's excavation offer?"

"Liret has too many ties to Wutai. I wouldn't let them excavate one of Shinra's materia caves - the risk of Wutai getting their hands on materia is too high."

Rufus nodded. He's always wondered what Tseng thought about Wutai, but the man was professional to the core and very much loyal to Shinra.

"Sir, would you like some dinner soon?"

Rufus has been spending his meal times with Tseng lately. It was a nice change from dining alone. The Turks' HQ wasn't big by any means, but it was roomy enough for him to get his legs some much needed exercise during the day. He was also enjoying the time spent learning about his future company. Tseng was intelligent and knowledgeable, possibly one of the greatest intellectual assets Shinra Company has aside from Veld. He could probably tell you where anything was in the Company Archives, a true walking encyclopedia. He has also introduced Rufus to some new things he's never tried up until now.

"Yes ... could you order what we got a week ago? From Five Dragons?"

"Of course Sir." Tseng smiled. He had ordered from the authentic Wutaiian restaurant, with all the spices included. Rufus had been spiced out, but seemed to love every bit of flavor and heat from the food. Tseng couldn't forget what Rufus had said to him the following day: "My rectum feels spicy."

~...~

He awakened with a start. It was that dream again. Rufus breathed heavily until his heart stopped pounding madly in his chest. Something was calling to him...something strange and foreign. The image of the space rock was fresh on his mind and it made him feel enraged for reasons unknown. He took a few deep breaths. The alarm clock on his nightstand showed 4:15 AM. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his pajamas and stared blankly at the walls. He really didn't feel up to going back to sleep at the moment. His stomach was churning with nervous energy from his dream.

He put on a jacket and walked out of his room. The Turks' HQ was dark and quiet. Rufus found Tseng asleep on the sofa once again. Tseng had his hair untied, the dark strands splayed out in a fan framing his face. It was a look Rufus wasn't used to. Had Tseng always looked this ...delicate? His tie was unknotted, his suit jacket casted aside. His guns were shining dark against his white shirt and his belt was loosened. Tseng looked relaxed despite sleeping on a couch for the better of a month's time.

Rufus felt his throat tighten when the thought of his dream returned suddenly. He wanted to get out, specifically he wanted to go to Palmer's department and research this space rock phenomenon. Rufus glanced at the corner of the ID badge poking out of the breast pocket of Tseng's shirt. Tseng's ID would have the right access rights to exit the Turks' HQ for sure. Rufus swallowed as his hand involuntarily twitched, reaching towards the ID badge lodged in the pocket. His eyes glanced upwards at the loosened tie. If he strangled Tseng he can get out without being tracked down...

Rufus pulled back before his thoughts could get any further. What is his brain trying to tell him to do? Kill the most valuable employee to Shinra with his own hands? That would make him too much like his father - his father who had ordered the murder of his mother. He sat back on his heels feeling nauseous all of a sudden at the comparison. The cold air from the air conditioner kicked on and blew into his back. He hates the cold, it reminds him of the winter day when he found out about his mother's death. He curled up against the sofa's side. He wanted to go back to his bed, to the warmth of his blankets. Tseng was shivering from the cold air too. He draped his large coat over Tseng before retreating back to his room.

~...~

The Director was looking a bit off today. Rufus had noticed it first in the morning when Tseng was not as responsive as usual. As the day progressed, he was becoming more and more lethargic, seemingly having to blink away irritation that was bothering his eyes. His breathing seemed to get labored and his face was turning a shade of pink.

By late afternoon, Rufus couldn't stand it anymore. "Is something wrong?"

Tseng's eyes were glazed over.

"Tseng? ...Tseng!"

Rufus panicked and grabbed Tseng's hand out of concern. That was when he realized Tseng was running a fever. Shit. He only knew a little about how to care for fevers. He quickly used Tseng's computer to search on the topic while holding Tseng in his other arm. Tseng seemed to react to the touch and leaned into him.

"Cold wet towels...changed intermittently to keep temperature down. Got it." He mumbled to himself. He moved Tseng to the sofa at first, then quickly realized that it was a bad idea. The damned AC vent above would make him worse. He assessed his options. There was only one thing to do. Rufus picked Tseng up bridal style and carried him into the bedroom and placed him gently on the large bed. Tseng whined in complaint.

"No Director, I can't have you out there in the cold while being this sick." Rufus pushed him back onto the bed and Tseng didn't have the energy to struggle.

Rufus worked quickly to wet a towel with cold water, squeezed it dry, and placed it on Tseng's forehead. He proceeded to make Tseng comfortable by propping his head up with pillows and finally nestled the man into the warmth of his blankets.

"What about you?" Tseng managed to croak out in a hoarse voice.

"I can live with sleeping in a chair for a night. Go to sleep." Rufus pulled Tseng's hair tie off and ruffled his hair.

Rufus kept watch on Tseng for the rest of the afternoon and evening. His fever was coming down slowly, but he was being wracked with a bout of coughing. Good thing Rufus kept a stash of lemon tea and honey around. He didn't have any actual medication however.

The ringing of the phone on the Director's desk brought Rufus's attention back. He didn't think he should pick up the Director's phone but when he saw that it was Reno's name showing on the display panel, he pulled up the handset.

"Yo Director, what the hell happened? Why aren't you answering my texts? Or Rude's."

"Reno..."

"Uh.....Mr. Vice President?" Reno's voice was clearly hesitant.

"Yes it's me. Can you bring some cold medication for me? And some food, something light."

"Uh...sure? What happened to the boss? Can't you ask him? Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm feeling fine. Tseng's sick."

Reno was quiet on the line for a few seconds before answering. "Rude and I will be there soon. Stay put."

Rufus looked up as Reno and Rude came into HQ with bags in their hands. Rude's eyebrows quirked up so high that it was visible beyond his shades when seeing Rufus out and about in their office.

"Where's the boss?" Reno asked.

Rufus stood up and pointed towards his room. "In my bed."

"Uh...come again?"

Rude seemed not as disturbed by the news and pulled Reno along to follow Rufus.

Tseng's breathing was labored, coughing fits disturbed his sleep, and he was still feverish. Rufus had done a decent job lowering his fever, but he would still need medicine to kick the fever fully.

Rude faced Rufus after administering the meds and managing to get Tseng to down some chicken noodle soup before allowing him to fall back asleep. "Where will you sleep Sir? He's probably contagious by the way."

Rufus hadn't thought that far...he just wanted to get Tseng away from the AC vent and get him comfortable. Reno pulled out a pack of preventative vitamins and handed them to Rufus. "This should help keep you from getting sick too."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Rufus replied as he thanked Reno for the vitamins.

Reno and Rude decided upon staying at the Turks' HQ overnight to keep an eye out for any other trouble. They ended up on the couch, Reno nestled up against Rude. They could hear intermittent fits of coughing from Rufus's chambers and Reno suddenly cursed when he realized the AC vent was blowing chilly air directly at them.

"Well...if he didn't get sick like this, I'd be surprised. Didn't Tseng tell you he slept on the sofa the last few weeks?"

"Yeah..."

"You realize there's no blankets in here except the ones in the VP's room right?"

"You realize Tseng's not fully asleep when he's asleep right?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "Well then of course he'd get sick if he ain't sleeping properly on top of being cold all night!" He sank more into Rude's larger form and warmth. "How do you think the VP will sleep tonight?"

"On a chair most likely." Rude answered before draping his larger jacket over the both of them. "You might want to button your shirt up if you're cold."

"Nah never."

Tseng woke up to the sound of snoring next to him. He turned his head to see Rufus sprawled across his torso, very much asleep while still sitting in a chair. He felt something semi-wet against his forehead and pulled it off to reveal a towel. Had Rufus been taking care of him? He saw the medication packages laid out on the nightstand. Cold medicine. He then vaguely remembers being fed the meds and some food by Rude before passing out again. A rough cough sent him back into the pillows. He was sick...a combination of not sleeping properly and the cursed air conditioner's seemingly unyieldingly cold temperature that he complained to facilities about before. Rufus stirred and pulled the blankets up to cover him up before laying his head back down on top of Tseng's stomach. He kept Tseng in bed for the next couple of days as he recovered, never complaining about having to sleep in a chair himself.

A week later, Rufus woke up to the scent of a bouquet of freshly arranged flowers in a vase in his room in the morning.

~...~

"Tseng, consider it. I don't want you to get sick again from being in the cold."

"I can bring a blanket in."

"I can't imagine the sofa being that comfortable long term. You've heard my father, four years in here. I have a huge bed and I don't mind sharing."

"But...."

Tseng was torn. A week in Rufus's bed had been nice while he was sick. He was relieved when he found out that Reno and Rude had given the VP some preventatives to keep him from catching whatever he had. He couldn't bring himself to say yes to Rufus's strange offer even though he was being told that it was fine. He only shook his head when Rufus goaded him some more.

Tseng startled awake and almost sent out a punch when he felt himself being lifted. The scent of Rufus's cologne stopped his fist in time. "Mr. Vice President!"

Rufus carried him into the bedroom and plopped him onto the bed. "Come on, sleep in here Tseng, it's not that weird. Think of it like a long term sleepover."

Tseng was barely awake at that point and when the warm blankets were dropped on top of him, he gave up and went along with it.

It took a few tries, but Rufus couldn't help but feel proud when he found Tseng snuggled up against him on his own volition one night. He lifted the blankets and took in and cradled the Turk. A little physical company was always nice. It kept thoughts of his loneliness away.

Tseng's face turned red in the morning when he woke up with Rufus's arm around his waist and his head nestled against Rufus's neck, their position was a little more intimate than he intended. He wasn't sure how to get out of the bed without waking Rufus up. He gently pried Rufus's arm off and was about to get up when the arm snaked its way around his waist once again. He sighed and glanced at the innocent look on Rufus's sleeping face. His eyelashes casted a shadow over his face and the little snores he was giving off were kind of adorable.

"Stay with me a little longer?" Rufus's sleepy voice sounded behind him as he tried to worm his way back out of the embrace. Tseng turned around in the bed and didn't know why but gave Rufus's forehead a peck before pulling away. "I need to start work Sir."

"Mmnng....you're a workaholic." Rufus mumbled before covering his face with the blanket and falling back asleep.

Tseng couldn't help but smile. He hadn't slept well in over a month's time and this was truly refreshing.

Rufus's nightmare didn't bother him anymore for the next four years.

**Author's Note:**

> Tseng is like a cat...sneaks up on you and likes warm places.
> 
> Rufus is soft at heart despite his ego.


End file.
